(May-17-2010, 03:58 PM (UTC))Nuytsia Wrote: The area is probably best known for orchards - yes good old Tassie apples and also cherries and pears etc. A few blueberry farms around too. Lots of kind of diverse things actually, like also weird types of mushrooms, and salmon farms, oh and alpacas for wool (as it's too wet for wool sheep).

Tassie apple orchards...they hold a near mythical status for me...I have always dreamed of biting into a crunchy apple picked fresh from a Tasmanian apple tree (I have even tried growing them here in this you-will-never-ever-grow-an-apple-tree climate but, even if I could do it, it wouldn't be the same!).

I should also mention that I have had an obsession with wanting to head down there for a spot of fly fishing ever since I saw 'The River Runs Through It' with Brad Pitt etc...other than Tasmania, I just can't picture any other part of Australia which would resemble the riverscape from that movie, and give justice to the art of fly fishing! My brother-in-law once said to me, "There are lots of places to go fly fishing, you know...it's not like you HAVE to go all the way down to Tasmania to do it". All I can say is that he just doesn't get it!!!

Here I go, off-topicing again !

"I am the Catalyst, and I came to change all things. Prophets become warriors, dragons hunt as wolves."

(May-18-2010, 02:33 PM (UTC))Lord Punctual Wrote: Nuytsia, spiders like that one are the exact reason why I live in a cold climate.
Also, I used to have a pet skink that looked a lot like that. I called him Guntash. (Because he was so fast. No, that isn't supposed to make sense.)
My avatar is me, so here is a picture of my cat instead:
and one of a Doomadillo:

I thought *I* lived in a cold climate!
Those guys hibernate over winter so you find them inside your umbrella, shoe etc.
Guntash the skink, heheh sounds good!
Go black cats!!!!!!!! I see it's not just Americans who like to dress up their cats...
Should I dare to ask what a Doomadillo is? Did you paint that? Yay I'll have to put up pics of my craft!

(May-19-2010, 02:38 PM (UTC))Farseer Wrote: Tassie apple orchards...they hold a near mythical status for me...I have always dreamed of biting into a crunchy apple picked fresh from a Tasmanian apple tree (I have even tried growing them here in this you-will-never-ever-grow-an-apple-tree climate but, even if I could do it, it wouldn't be the same!).

I want to say how I eat my beautiful home grown apples and make ya jealous but I'm afraid I'm still waiting for the trees to mature!!!!!
Ohhh I just bought a blueberry bush the other day so I can't wait for those too. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I'm kind of a terrible gardener, but I'm trying my best. No excuse for not growing your own berries and fruits here.

(May-19-2010, 02:38 PM (UTC))Farseer Wrote: I should also mention that I have had an obsession with wanting to head down there for a spot of fly fishing........

Well I can't claim to know anything about fishing, but it does seem to be a hugely popular thing here! I hope you wouldn't be disappointed by the scenery though - I must say Tasmania isn't quite how I pictured it. But then again I'm not sure what it looks like in 'the River Runs Through It' and also I'm not 100% sure what prime Tasmanian fly fishing country looks like either! (it all seems to be in the centre? hehehe the REALLY COLD bit ...... )

Believe it or not, the cat loves wearing her costumes. But don't worry, I don't dress her up all the time, just occasionally for kicks. That was her Hallowe'en costume.

I did indeed paint the Doomadillo... which is what it sounds like, an armadillo of DOOM! It originally started as a 'comeback' for my then-roommate Jenners drawing a picture of me riding on the back of a flaming Chinese Water Deer, and expanded into a whole collection of Doomadillos. You can see them on my deviant Art gallery.

I have apple trees. They may not be as good Tasmanian apples, but they are very appley. Of course, they won't be ripe until September or so.

(May-20-2010, 09:12 PM (UTC))Lord Punctual Wrote: Believe it or not, the cat loves wearing her costumes. But don't worry, I don't dress her up all the time, just occasionally for kicks. That was her Hallowe'en costume.
I did indeed paint the Doomadillo... which is what it sounds like, an armadillo of DOOM! It originally started as a 'comeback' for my then-roommate Jenners drawing a picture of me riding on the back of a flaming Chinese Water Deer, and expanded into a whole collection of Doomadillos.
I have apple trees. They may not be as good Tasmanian apples, but they are very appley. Of course, they won't be ripe until September or so.

Hehehe, I have one cat that would probably adore being put in a costume and becoming the centre of attention, whereas the other two would shred me if I tried that sort of thing.
Hehe nice gallery! I particularly enjoyed 'Deathadillo and Songadillo'.
See the thing about your apples is they will EXIST whereas mine are apples, in potentia (or something like that) and so although they be Tasmanian, will never be as good as your apples until they, in fact, at the very least, EXIST.
Hehehe I keep making the typo 'applies' for 'apples' but in my head it sounds like APPLE - EEEEES
Confession: I think the apples here may taste very similar to the apples we used to get in Western Australia. They probably export all the best ones!

Farseer YUM!!! I'm jealous of ya veges!!!
Pretty well everything you have there are things we have a hard time growing here (except of course TATERS). We can grow tomatoes OK (when I saw 'we' I don't include me, as I failed!), and people do grow pumpkins, but you have to get your timing just right as the growing season is so short for those sorts of things here. Cucumbers and capsicums I understand are just do-able....
And even the potatoes - which I thought would be easy - got dug up and EATEN! I knew I had to protect most things from possums etc but I had been led to believe potatoes were safe. Wrong! What I REALLY need is better fence building skills....

Wow, Farseer, that's a massive patch of cherry tomatoes. We grow them here, but we have to start them indoors because the growing season isn't long enough to grow them from seeds outside. We're just about to the last frost of the year now. Usually Victoria Day weekend is the first day most people around here plant things.

Nice taters, too - we planted some last year for the first time, and they were really fun to harvest at the end of the season. (Like buried treasure.)

You might find it interesting that in our backwards Canadian vocabulary, we call capsicums "green peppers."

(May-21-2010, 03:41 PM (UTC))Nuytsia Wrote: And even the potatoes - which I thought would be easy - got dug up and EATEN! I knew I had to protect most things from possums etc but I had been led to believe potatoes were safe. Wrong! What I REALLY need is better fence building skills....

I sympathize, Nuytsia! I had a hard time keeping rabbits out for YEARS but have finally out-smarted them!!! *crosses fingers*

(May-22-2010, 04:17 PM (UTC))Lord Punctual Wrote: Nice taters, too - we planted some last year for the first time, and they were really fun to harvest at the end of the season. (Like buried treasure.)

I agree, Lord Punctual!! It's always heaps of fun bandicooting!! **'Bandicooting' is a term that comes from the word 'bandicoot' which is an Australian marsupial that digs http://www.aussie-info.com/identity/fauna/bandicoot.php. The act of 'bandicooting' is where you carefully dig around a potato plant, just under the surface, so you don't disturb the plant or the rest of the potatoes.**

Actually, I think most people living outside of Australia would call capsicums 'bell peppers' or 'sweet peppers'? Correct me if I'm wrong! We call a capsicum a 'capsicum' and a pepper a 'chilli' (as in the hot things that have you running for a glass of milk!) .

I don't normally go about taking pic of my vegies, by the way! I'd had a whole garden with lots of produce growing last summer (also corn, carrots, beans, beetroot, onions, lettuce etc) and most of it DIED while I was away and my husband was placed in the vegie garden-caretaker role. All that survived is what you see above, in the photos. I took them when next I had to go away, so I had some real proof of how it looked in case he killed again!!!

Many years ago I had to take my kids into their school for a week and so my vegie garden was placed in my husband's care, along with the guinea pigs and other pets. When I came home and found everything in the vegie garden AND the guinea pigs dead, I did the wifely thing and just started into him . When I finally finished my tirade, he simply shrugged and said,"I'm sorry, but I didn't go out that door."

"I am the Catalyst, and I came to change all things. Prophets become warriors, dragons hunt as wolves."

Oh CRUD I responded to this a while ago and it's been eaten! (OR I guess I previewed post and didn't post it !!!!!!!!!)

I think I said:
Well done keeping the rabbits out Farseer! My worst garden disaster here thus far was (I am pretty certain) rabbit attack! I planted my plum and apples trees but stupidly did not immediately put tree guards around them and , you guessed it, the bark on the trunks got badly chewed. None have died so far, but apparently this is pretty bad and they may even die down the track. I suspect they aren't doing as well as they should be.....

Also, I DO normally go around taking pics of my vegies! And a lot of other things...... hehehee!
Geeeees I don't blame for for 'collecting evidence' in case of another 'plant mass murder' !!
You've got to have your fresh vegies! (Can't imagine it'salways that easy to come by them where you are?)
And not even the guinea pigs were spared? Harsh! I really hope you are in charge of the cattle!

I LOVE it (what was that I was saying about talented people on thePlenty?)! Very nice !

I also enjoyed the comment re the cattle (he manages that side of things ok, by the way!). It was so good, I am going to write it down so I can refer to it during my next tirade (twenty years hasn't changed him so I doubt another twenty will...future deaths and future tirades are as certain as the WP's prophecies coming true!)!

"I am the Catalyst, and I came to change all things. Prophets become warriors, dragons hunt as wolves."